Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream to be Listed as UNESCO World Heritage in July, Ulsan Excited

【Financial News Ulsan=Choi Soo-sang Reporter】"The fact that the petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream meet the inscription criteria as masterpieces of human creativity is a recognition of the artistic value of prehistoric culture on the Korean Peninsula."
The news that the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has recommended the inscription of the Bangudae Petroglyphs and Cheonjeon-ri Inscriptions and Petroglyphs was delivered on the 26th, causing Ulsan citizens to cheer. Ulsan City issued a statement saying it would do its best until the moment the inscription as a World Heritage is decided.
Since World Heritage sites recommended for inscription are almost always inscribed, the 47th World Heritage Committee, which will be held in Paris, France, from July 6 to 16, is expected to be the stage for the inscription.
If the Bangudae Petroglyphs are inscribed as a World Heritage, it will bear fruit 15 years after the National Heritage Administration applied for the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list in 2010.
Ulsan Ulju-gun Eonyang-eup 'Daegok-ri Bangudae Petroglyphs' and Ulju-gun Dudong-myeon 'Cheonjeon-ri Inscriptions and Petroglyphs' have been applied for inscription under the integrated name 'Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream', and ICOMOS completed the final evaluation through an on-site inspection at the end of May last year.

The Bangudae Petroglyphs were discovered in December 1971 by a team led by Professor Moon Myung-dae of Dongguk University. 'Cheonjeon-ri Inscriptions and Petroglyphs' were discovered a year earlier by the same team.
The Bangudae Petroglyphs are currently accelerating in deterioration due to weathering. They are submerged whenever the dam level rises due to heavy rain, caused by the construction of the Sayeon Dam at the downstream point of Daegokcheon in December 1965, six years before their discovery.
Efforts to rescue the petroglyphs from the water have continued but have not been successful.
Various measures such as installing a cutoff wall around the petroglyphs, constructing an ecological embankment, changing the waterway to a tunnel form, and installing a kinetic dam (variable temporary water barrier) have been attempted, but all have been abandoned due to low feasibility or concerns about damaging the landscape around the petroglyphs.
Ultimately, reliance has been placed on the temporary measure of adjusting the Sayeon Dam's water level to prevent submersion, but the petroglyphs are submerged for a certain period each year, accelerating their deterioration.
In response, the National Heritage Administration and Ulsan City are currently working on a project to install three sluice gates in the spillway to maintain a low water level at the Sayeon Dam.
Lowering the Sayeon Dam's water level will inevitably reduce Ulsan's water supply, and the shortfall is being addressed by bringing in water from the Unmun Dam in Gyeongbuk.

In preparation for the World Heritage inscription, Ulsan City recently began a comprehensive maintenance plan for the area around the petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream. Once the maintenance plan is established, the area will be managed with a focus on preservation while also being utilized as a sustainable tourism resource.
In addition, plans are being accelerated to make the area a historical tourism attraction, including the construction of a World Petroglyph Center and the creation of trails.
Kim Doo-gyeom, Mayor of Ulsan, said, "Through the establishment of a comprehensive maintenance plan, we will promote domestic and international academic research, the application of preservation technology, and the revitalization of the local economy," adding, "We will spare no support so that Ulsan can be recognized as a representative prehistoric site worldwide."

ulsan@fnnews.com Choi Soo-sang Reporter